Teacher with spinal cord injury transforms into career counselor

“I hope students can look at me and realize they don’t have to give up, no matter how hard it gets.”

Kim Dae-sun, a teacher at Kwangwoon AI High School in Seoul, made this remark during an interview with The Dong-A Ilbo on Friday. The 48-year-old teacher had recently taken office as the 8th president of the National Career and College Counseling Teachers Association on March 26. Kim originally started his teaching career as a Korean language teacher. After being appointed in 2005, he suffered a life-changing accident during a ski camp in Taebaek, Gangwon Province, with his students in January 2010. As a result, he became paralyzed and later transitioned into a career and college counseling teacher.

When he returned to school a year after the accident, he couldn’t move without a wheelchair, having lost all sensation below his chest. “I was devastated, thinking I might never be able to teach again because of my disability,” he said. “But with support from my school, I regained my courage.” His school, along with the Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disabilities, installed automatic doors, wheelchair-accessible restrooms, resting areas with beds, and height-adjustable podiums to accommodate his needs.

In 2012, tragedy struck again when his wife passed away in an accident. With two children to raise, he had to summon extraordinary strength. “I already had a counseling teacher certification,” he explained. “When I returned to work, I completed training to become a career and college counseling teacher—a new role introduced in 2011.”

Now, Kim provides personalized career counseling to over 400 students at his school. “I’ll do my best to help students discover their dreams,” he said.


Ye-Na Choi yena@donga.com